Rams hockey comes up short against Guelph in mid-week tilt

By Hayden Godfrey

Despite making an effort to comeback, the Ryerson Rams women’s hockey team fell 3-1 to the Guelph Gryphons on Oct. 25 at the Mattamy Athletic Centre (MAC).

Fresh off a stunning overtime victory against the Laurentian Voyageurs in Sudbury, the Rams hoped to continue their hot streak at the MAC against the visiting Guelph Gryphons.

Unfortunately, they were set back early and couldn’t even it up, despite having numerous close chances and playing stretches of dominant hockey.

The Gryphons, energetic and lively on the bench prior to puck drop, took an early lead just 48 seconds in when veteran forward Kaitlin Lowy went top corner to open up the scoring. Guelph built on their early lead later on in the frame when Karli Shell squeaked a short snapshot through Rams goalie Rachel Seeley to extend the deficit.

As a result of the two early goals, Seeley was pulled in the first period for freshman netminder Natalie Thompson.

The first period also saw second-year forward Brooklyn Gemmill head to the locker room with an upper-body injury. A native of Cambridge, Ontario, Gemmill came into the game tied for the team lead in points.

Despite the initial shock, Rams head coach Lisa Haley wasn’t overly concerned about the injury, as Gemmill ended up returning shortly after. “I don’t expect anything long term there,” Haley said following the game.

Though the first half of the second period was evenly balanced, Guelph broke through 11 minutes in, building on their lead thanks to the nifty stick work of Molly Crossman, who criss-crossed her way into the high slot and netted a backhand snapper. The Rams found their way the scoresheet late in the frame, when forward Lauren Nicholson potted her third goal of the year.

It was an uneventful third period followed, with the Rams falling by a score of 3-1. With this loss, Ryerson drops to an all-time 2-14 against Guelph.

“There were some positives in terms of performance, but at the end of the day, it’s a league game and there’s three points on the line,” Haley said. “They came in here and took it from us, so definitely disappointing.”

UP NEXT: The Rams will head to Varsity Arena to take on the University of Toronto Varsity Blues on Thursday, Nov. 1. Puck drop is scheduled at 11 a.m.